Recorded crowd noise is no match for live roars of Steelers Nation

For Pope Yinzer, nothing can replace the sights and sounds inside and outside Heinz Field on Sundays.

The pope, Don Zadach Jr., 62, of Jefferson Hills, is a diehard Pittsburgh Steelers fan known for going to most games in his handcrafted, papal-themed costume.

“Every Sunday is almost like a national holiday when you go down there and tailgate,” Zadach said.

Not being able to attend the games thus far because of the covid-19 pandemic has made the season tough, he said.

“It’s killing everybody, to put it bluntly,” Zadach said.

Absent the fans, the Steelers staff is using crowd noise from previous Steelers games to create an ambient level of noise for the players during the game, according to Ryan Huzjak, the vice president of marketing and sales for the Steelers.

“The audio you’re hearing when you’re watching the game (on TV) is different than what you’re hearing in the venue,” Huzjak said. “This is quite a bit quieter.”

The in-stadium sound is regulated by the NFL and is uniform at venues throughout the league. Until Sunday, the noise couldn’t exceed 70 decibels. On Friday, the league revised its policy to allow the levels to be 80 decibels, which effectively doubles how loud stadiums can be.

It’s the difference between a vacuum cleaner and a garbage disposal, or the difference between standing by car driving by at 65 mph and a freight train passing by.

The noise level must remain the same no matter who has the football, with the NFL monitoring it, according to a report on the league’s website.

Even with the increased volume, it pales against a Heinz Field packed by Steelers Nation.

UPMC estimates the levels at a normal Steelers game are about 90 decibels. That’s four times louder than what’s been piped in during the first two weeks.

For the fans at home, the experience is different because television producers are allowed to modulate the noise to reflect the ebb and flow of the game, he said.

The noise comes from previous Steelers games as recorded by NFL films, so actual Steelers fans are heard on TV broadcasts and at Heinz Field, Huzjak said.

The Steelers are working with players to provide warmup music and other effects to keep them fired up without a live crowd, Huzjak said.

It includes playing the Styx standard “Renegade” in the 4th quarter and clips of other songs throughout the game, Huzjak said, but it doesn’t replace the feel the fans bring to the games.

“It’s something we’ve always appreciated, how much the fans created the atmosphere that makes our games so special,” Huzjak said. “Not being able to celebrate with them on site was challenging for all of us.”

Fans will remain at home during Sunday’s 1 p.m. home game against Houston, but the team is “working hard with our local and state officials” to find a way to allow fans to attend games this season, Huzjak said.

“The environment we work in is not in our control,” he said.

For fans like Zadach, the return will be sweet.

“With the lack of people there, it’s really weird,” he said. “We’re keeping our fingers crossed. I’d like to be optimistic about it and hope we get down there. That’s anybody’s guess right now.”